Last week it was reported that Nick Saban could be facing the loss of three assistants from his Alabama coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.
Now comes word that the coordinator on the other side of the ball could be a target as well.
According to the Tuscaloosa News, and citing sources familiar with the situation, new Florida head coach Will Muschamp is expected to pursue Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart for the same post with the Gators. The paper writes that it’s not known whether the position has been offered to Smart yet.
Muschamp and Smart both played football at Georgia, with the former graduating a year before the latter was a freshman. They’ve also been on the same staffs at Valdosta State and LSU, and are said to still be very close friends.
This is the second time this year Saban’s been forced to deal with the possibility of losing Smart; in January, Georgia made a huge financial push for Smart’s services. After receiving a significant bump in pay, however, Smart decided to remain in Tuscaloosa and turned down his alma mater.
Smart leaving for Gainesville might not be the only ripple effect of Muschamp’s new job on Saban’s current staff.
A report from the Gainesville Sun has Texas assistant Major Applewhite following Muschamp to Florida to become the Gators’ new offensive coordinator. Applewhite has been in the mix to replace Greg Davis, who resigned as the Longhorns’ coordinator earlier this month.
McElwain has already been rumored as a candidate to replace Davis at UT; Applewhite being removed from the mix would seem to increase the chances that McElwain becomes even more of a player for the Austin job than he already is.
In other words, Muschamp’s hiring at Florida could cost Saban his two outstanding coordinators. Yeah, that’d make Coach Hancock a happy camper, especially knowing how he feels about his coaches making lateral moves.
